Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Eating in Madrid: Sudestada

Even though I had read good things about Sudestada, I was skeptical. For one, because it is the second incarnation of a restaurant in Buenos Aires, and chains—no matter how small or international—make me nervous. For another, because the menu is all over the place, relatively speaking: Malaysian curry puffs, Singaporean dumplings. Kirin beer. But mostly because when it comes to Asian food (or Mexican, but that’s for another day), I wouldn’t trust a Spanish restaurant critic to know a good pad thai if it stood up and started shooting nam pla-flavored endorphins. Harsh, I know, but born of experience.

Though maybe it’s time to review my prejudices. Because Sudestada is great. It’s a small place, which meant we ended up eating at the bar because all of its eight or so tables were booked. And there’s zero décor. But the food is excellent: the Singapore dumplings light and flavorful; the Malaysian curry puff more samosa than anything else, but still delicious; the beef with peanuts glazed with a tangy sauce that had me licking my chopsticks. And for dessert, a dense coconut something—part cake, part pudding—that was achingly sweet, but irresistible. I can’t wait to go back.